The Blood of Three
by L.Loveless
Summary: UKUS: Only thee born with the blood of three can destroy all evil and restore harmony. Alfred has lived his whole life as the sickly, weak, younger son of a farmer in a tiny village. But when his village is attacked, Alfred must flee his village, only to discover he's the key to something bigger than he could've ever imagined. Rating may change
1. Chapter I

_**At the bottom there will be descriptions of each territory and race**_

* * *

_Only thee_

_Born with the blood of three_

_Can destroy all evil_

_And restore harmony_

* * *

When I was a child my grandfather would tell my brother and I stories of his days in the King's Militia and the battles he fought in the Great Antecian Expansion. He would tell us how valiant he fought with his fellow soldiers, and how they conquered the elven forces, taking control of the Ylirit's seaports, and helping create the great kingdom of Antecia that it is today.

His eyes would light up as he talked about how the silver armor of the soldiers gleamed in the sunlight as they charged into Ylirit. The sound of marching and of horses neighing accompanied with their battle horns and drums completely inspired each soldier. Each one loyal and unquestioning. Serving for their king and nation.

My older brother and I would always play and re-enact his stories. We wanted to grow up and become soldiers just like he had, instead of being a rural country farmer in a village with barely a hundred people.

When my grandfather died, his military service enabled him to be buried in the Champion's Crypt. A cemetery exclusively for only the strongest of men who have served. It was in Antecia's capital, Baehlin, right by the royal castle.

My mother and father packed up our wagon and the whole Williams family made the eight day trip it would take to reach the capital for the funeral. Even though I was sad about my grandfather dying, I remember looking around the city in awe. Everything was so beautiful and shining. It was the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen.

My grandfather had the proper military burial, including a band of soldiers in their shining armor. It was all so grand. My grandfather was respected like a hero. Treated like a hero in life and death.

I knew I wanted to be just like him. When I was old enough I wanted to join the King's Militia along with my older brother. I wanted to be a hero.

I still do.

But things don't always work out.

From a young age, I've always been a sick, weak child; constantly becoming ill and bed ridden, usually at weeks at a time.

I was also useless as a worker for our family's farm. I wasn't strong enough to go out into the fields or do any heavy lifting. All I could do was feed the chickens and collect the eggs. Help my mother with the house-work.

My mother and father always worried for me. When I was born the midwife who delivered me told my parents I was a very weak child. She said she would be surprised if I lived past the first year.

But here I am. 16 years later and I'm still alive. Still weak and small and sick, and nowhere near my dream of becoming a knight.

My older brother, Matthew, is 18 now. He's so strong and fit. He would be the perfect soldier.

Today he leaves our tiny village to travel to Baehlin where he will begin his training. I will miss hi terribly when he goes, for I know it will be months before I see him again. All we will have will be letters an I am a terrible writer.

"Alfred, come down here please! You're brother will be leaving soon!" My mother calls from downstairs. I am upstairs in the small loft that my brother and I called a room.

I didn't want to go down to Matthew off. I knew I would end up crying and I wanted to be strong.

"Alfred, get down here now!" My father orders, trying to be strict. I want to laugh. My father is one of the kindest men anyone could ever meet. They must really want me down there to see Matthew off. I sigh and get up from my bed; I really hope I don't cry.

"Coming." I call out meekly. My scrawny legs carried my even scrawnier body down the stairs. I could see my mother and father standing there with my brother, his satchel packed with the few things he'd be able to bring. His violet eyes see me, and he smiles.

"Thought you could avoid saying goodbye to me, ey?" Matthew teases in his soft voice. I roll my eyes and avoid his gaze. Come on, Alfred, don't cry!

"I was just imagining how nice it would be to finally have the room all to myself," I say, putting on a happy face. If my brother sees me cry… He'd probably put off leaving to make sure I'd be ok without him. He's very kind and selfless like that, always putting my needs, as well as other people's, ahead of his. He cares more about others than himself, and that's why he'll be a great soldier. He will be hero. My brother will be able to achieve what I cannot.

So I can't let him see me cry, because Antecia deserves more men like him to serve in the military.

"Yeah, well don't get too used to it, alright. You'll be joining me in the army barracks in just a few years. I'm sure of it," Matthew says smiling. My brother. The only one who still believes I could be a hero.

I look up at him and smile. I feel my eyes become watery and I quickly wipe them on my sleeve. I can hear my mother cooing 'aws' at my sentimental display.

"You're right, I'll be joining you soon…" I trail off. "I'll miss you, Matthew."

Matthew smiles and pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around him as tight as I possibly can.

"I'll miss you too, Al," He says. "Take care of Mom and Dad, ok? I promise to write you every week."

I smile, nodding and I feel a tear escape and pull away.

"Alright, I will." I see Matthew smile and he goes to hug and kiss our mother again. Matthew had already gone around the village this morning, saying goodbye to all his friends and his girlfriend, Emma. Now there was no one left to say goodbye to.

"Well, I should get going now if I want to reach Galbayn by nightfall," Matthew says hesitantly. I can tell he's not ready to leave. That he's anxious and a bit nervous. Matthew has always been shy, he's never liked meeting people and now he's leaving everything and everyone he knows. I can only imagine the butterflies in his stomach.

Mother nods, already crying. My father seems sad as well, but he's better at keeping a strong façade.

"Bye." I say, smiling at him. All three of us watch him as he walks out our door. We follow him out, waving goodbye to Matthew as he rides off on his brown horse, Darrow. We just stand there silently watching Matthew ride off until he gets smaller and smaller, eventually becoming just a speck before finally vanishing from our sight. I feel more tears coming down my face.

Dammit… I didn't want to cry.

* * *

Matthew has been gone for over a month now and we have yet to hear from him. Not one letter. Father says not to worry. He says that Matthew is probably just busy with his training and hasn't had the time yet. I hope he's right.

Since Matthew left, father's had to hire another hand to pick up the extra work now that Matthew's gone. I obviously can't be much help since I can barely lift a bag of grain and I still get very ill quite often.

The new hand is very tall, very big and very quiet. I don't think I've heard him say a whole sentence since my father hired him.

His name is Ludwig. No last name.

"Hello, Ludwig! How's the work going?" I ask smiling brightly. I love meeting people and making friends. As Matthew says, talking is my best skill.

"Fine," Ludwig says gruffly as he hauls two bags of grain over his shoulders to feed the cows.

"Really? That's great! I just got back from my apprenticeship at the tailors. Man, do I have butter fingers! I keep stabbing my fingers with the needles. Padget gets mad because I keep bleeding on the linens! His face gets so red! I swear it's redder than an apple!" I laugh as I recall my master Padget's angry face from earlier today when I had pricked my finger and got little red stains all over this white shirt I was mending.

"Ah, I see," Is all Ludwig says in return. He seems a bit irritated, but I can't imagine why. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or something.

"Well, I should go see if my mother needs any help inside. I'll see you later." I say, leaving Ludwig to his work as I head inside. I find my mother scrubbing the floor, she looks up and greets me with a smile.

"Any letters from Matthew?" I ask hopefully. She sighs and shakes her head.

"No… honestly, I don't know what's happening. This isn't like Matthew… We should've heard from him by now."

I completely agree with my mother, but I can't let myself worry too much. Matthew always said I was a worrywart…

"He hasn't even written to Emma…." I comment as I lean against the wall. Mother sighs again.

"I'm sure everything's fine," She says, but she doesn't seem sure at all. I decide to change the subject.

"So, did you need any help? Any errands to run, chores to do?" I ask, pushing myself off the wall. Mother doesn't even have to think or hesitate. She always has work to do.

"Take the laundry down from the line and fold it? It's supposed to rain later today. And after that, if you could stop by the blacksmith and pick up those new horseshoes for Gilda?" She says. I smile and go to grab the wicker basket.

"No problem, I'm on it," I say, going out the back to where the clothes and linen were hanging. I see my father there; he's collecting eggs from the chickens. He sees me and smiles and waves me over.

"Alfred, can you head back into town and pick up Gilda's horse shoes?" He asks once I'm in earshot. I smile.

"Mother already asked me. Its no problem," Father nods.

"So uh, any word from Matthew? I've been out in the field all day."

I sigh. Father may act strong, but he's just as worried as mother and I that we haven't heard from Matthew. I shake my head.

"No, not yet," I say. He nods.

"Right, well, I should get these eggs inside to your mother," He starts to head inside and calls over his shoulder. "Don't forget those horseshoes."

I nod even though I know he can't see me and start taking things down, folding the shirts and cloths. It's a bit difficult with the wind, but its not too bad.

I can see grey clouds in the distance. It will probably already be raining before I get back from the blacksmith.

I make quick work of the laundry, taking it down and folding it into the basket. Before I know it, my little chore is all done and I'm taking it inside to Mother.

"I'm off to the blacksmith's," I call out, heading out the door. I can see Father and Ludwig working on getting our animals inside the barn so they don't have to be out in the rain. I wave but they don't see me and I continue on my way, walking as fast as I can to get to 'town.'

Town is what we refer the center of the village to. That's where the shops are, like the blacksmith, the tailor, the butcher and bakers. But it's nowhere near to an actual town. There's barely a hundred people in our village. And we only have one tavern.

I really want to get out of here.

The blacksmith, Lars, is all right I guess, but he's very solemn and quiet. He and Ludwig would probably get along very well. He's also the older brother of Matthew's girlfriend, Emma.

I go into the smithy, but I don't see anyone around. That's not so unusual though. Lars often disappears to smoke strange things. I'm not really sure what they are, but whatever it is, they sure do make him act weird.

"Anyone here?" I call out. A blonde head pops out of the back. Its Emma. I smile and go over to her.

"Hello Alfred. How is everything? Have you heard anything from Matthew yet?" She asks. God, why must everyone ask _me _about Matthew.

"Not yet," I say. She visibly deflates before plastering on a pretty smile.

"Well, I'm sure we'll hear from him soon," She says brightly. I smile, I liked Emma, she was always optimistic like me and didn't mind my ramblings.

"So, I bet you're here for Gilda's new horseshoes, right?" She asks as she goes behind the counter to grab the metal horseshoes.

"How'd you know?" I joke. She gives a laugh as she hands me the horseshoes and I hand her the coins needed to pay.

Before she can say anything, Lars enters. He's very stoic looking, but his eyes look a bit hazy and red. Emma sighs and gives him a look.

"Have you been…" She looks at me and back to her older brother and does some gesture that I can't see. "… _You know what_, again?" Lars rolls his dilated eyes. I think I have a feeling of what he was doing.

"Piss off, Emma." Lars says stoically. He looks over at me.

"And how're you, chicken legs?" He asks me. Now its my turn to roll my eyes. I hate it when he calls me that. Just because I'm scrawny.

"I think I'm going to go. It smells a bit _smokey _in here," I say pointedly at Lars. He glares and ignores me, going off to start working. I look over at Emma.

"I'll let you know if Matthew sends any letters," I say and she smiles gratefully. She puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Alfred. You're a good guy, just like your brother," As she says this, a crack of thunder sounds. I look out the shops window and see that it's started to rain. I make a face and Emma looks at me.

"Do you want to wait out the rain here?" She offers. I shake my head.

"No, that's ok. I should be fine, thanks though, Emma," She nods, but still seems a bit worried.

"If you're sure… I know how easily you can get sick," Emma says. I smile at her.

"I'll be fine."

"Stop pestering, chicken legs. He's not a baby any more," Lars says irritably as he busies himself around his shop. Emma sighs and smiles.

"Alright then. I'll see you around, Alfred," She says, waving to me as I take the horseshoes, and exit the shop, giving her a goodbye smile.

"Bye," I say as I step into the rain. It's pretty heavy so I pick up the pace and run to get home as fast as I can.

As I run through the town, the dirt roads become muddy and I slip a couple times. The slick ground slows me down a bit since I don't want to fall into the mud if I slip again.

The rain is soaking me to the bone. I really should have taken Emma up on her offer and waited in the blacksmith until the rain let up. It's so cold and I start to shiver a bit. Hopefully I won't get sick.

I see my home coming up and I hurry to get inside. My mother has a fire going and I see Father and Ludwig at the table where dinner is about to be served. It's not unusual for Ludwig to eat with us at meals.

Mother looks up at me at the sound of the door and she instantly comes over to me with a worried look.

"Oh Alfred, you're so wet and cold! Why didn't you wait for the rain to stop before coming home?" She frets, grabbing me shoulders and ushering me to sit by the fire.

I hear my father sigh.

"I hope you don't get sick, Alfred," He says softly, coming over to me and placing his big, warm jacket over my shoulders as I sneeze. I can see my mother and father exchange worried looks.

"Why don't you get some warms clothes on and dry your hair. Then you can come down for dinner, sound good?" My mother says kindly. I nod and leave the warmth of the fire and head upstairs. I throw a smile at Ludwig as I pass him and he nods politely.

As I climbed the stairs I can hear my parents' hushed words.

"I hope he's alright, we're so close to harvest, we don't have the time to waste on taking care of him," Mother says.

"Sometimes I wish he were more like Matthew," Father says.

I know they love me, but I also know I'm a burden to them.

* * *

There's still no word from Matthew, but it's only been a week since that day it rained. I've been bedridden. Coming down with a high fever and a cough.

I've felt very light headed and I have no appetite. I get dizzy when I stand.

I hate it when I get sick.

My father and Ludwig have been rather busy harvesting the crops from the fields. My mother cleaning and preparing them to sell. It's been very busy on our little farm and I wish I could actually be of use.

Instead I lay here all day, coughing and vomiting up any food I eat.

I mostly sleep through the day, sometimes I look through old books, but we don't own many books, so I go through them a lot.

I look to the side, there's a bowl of hot soup my mother just put there. It smells good, beef stew, my favorite. But I have no appetite for it. I turn away and try to sleep, but I can't stop coughing.

I eventually manage to fall asleep.

I wish I hadn't.

I'm shaken violently awake by my mother. She's frantic and terrified.

"M-mom! What's wrong?!" I ask, my voice sore from coughing as I sit up in my bed. I see out my window, it's dark it must be the middle of the night, but that's not what catches my eye. In the distance where the town is supposed to be, all I can see are bright orange flames.

"Alfred, the village is under attack, you need to get up!" She says pulling me out of my bed and throwing some clothes at me. I feel panic swell in me as I quickly pull on the pants she threw at me. She's grabbing a small satchel and starts throwing as much as she can fit into it. An old tarp me and Matthew used to use as a tent for camping, a couple blankets, a spare shirt, a dagger.

"Where's father? A-and Ludwig?" I ask frantically as I follow my mother down the stairs. She hurries to the pantry and starts packing breads, cheeses and apples into the satchel.

"You're father's helping to fight them off in town, I don't know where Ludwig is. Put your boots on now and grab a jacket!" She orders. I hurry to do what she says.

"Ok, but who's 'them?' Why are they attacking us? What are you doing?!" I ask as I slip into my boots, already feeling dizzy and I start coughing.

"I'm packing! You need to leave, take Gilda! There's enough food to last you three, maybe four days…" She trails off and heads to her and father's bedroom. I stumble after her, grabbing my jacket and throwing it on.

"Leave?! Where am I going? Are you coming with me?" I ask between coughing as my mother digs through her trunk.

"You've got to leave! You need to get to Varlera, you'll be safe there. Alfred," She pauses and turns to me, she's crying, why hadn't I noticed that earlier. "I'm not going with you," She finally says.

"Wh-what?! I-… I can't go on my own! I can't leave you!" I cry out dropping down next to her on my knees and holding on to her.

"Mommy, I can't leave without you!" I say. I hear Mother sob and she pries me off her.

"Alfred, my baby, you need to go! I need to stay here in case you're father comes back. I'll be fine, I promise," She kisses my forehead. "I promise."

"B-but how am I supposed to get to Varlera?! I'm not a mage! They'll arrest me and-and escort me out of their territory and I'll be right back here I started!" None of this made sense, I couldn't go there. "A-and who's 'them?' Who's attacking us?" I ask again, realizing she still hadn't answered that question.

My mother ignores my question again and grabs a small jewelry box from her trunk and pulls out a pendant.

"Alfred, everything will be fine as long as you have this," She holds the pendant out for me to take it. It's on a bronze chain and the pendant is turquoise. There's a strange symbol on it made up of intricate circles. "This has the symbol of a mage family. _Your _mage family," She says.

"What? Wh-what are you talking about? You're not making sense!" I cry out, clutching the pendant.

"Alfred, you're one fourth mage. Your grandmother was a dormant mage from Varlera. Her maiden name was Jones. That's a very common surname in mage territory. As long as you tell anyone who comes across you that your name is Alfred Jones and wear that pendant, you'll be safe."

I start coughing again.

"No! I can't leave you here! I promised Matthew I'd take care of you! A-and what about Emma?!" I can barely lift a sack of grin. I'm weak, I can't survive on my own. "I can't do this on my own!"

"You have to Alfred! I'll be fine and so will Emma, Lars will protect her! All the other nearby villages are either under attacked or will be. The next closest place is Varlera. It's only a three-day journey on horse. So take Gilda and go! You can have a better life there! There's more opportunities, they have better physicians! You could be healthier and happier there! Go and build a new life and never look back, Alfred!" She hugs me close, so tight it hurts. She doesn't even care that I'm coughing on her and crying. She just holds me close.

"I love you, Alfred," She stands up, bringing me with her and lets go of me, thrusting the satchel into my arms. "Now go! Take Gilda and go!" I reluctantly nod and sling the bag over my shoulder and hug my mother one last time before going. I feel light headed and dizzy as I run out of the house, I can hear my mother calling behind me, shouting that she loves me and that I'll be fine. I find Gilda in the stable and let her out. There's no time to saddle her up, so I untie her and hoist myself up.

"Come on, Gilda," I say as we ride off and out of the barn, heading west towards the forest and away from the burning village. My soon to be burning home.

Its as I'm riding off that I realize I didn't get to say goodbye to my father. I didn't get to say goodbye to my friends. Not Emma, not my master Padget. Not even Lars.

I also realize that I still don't know who's attacking the village. Howerver my question is answered as a larger than life man, with deathly pale skin and dark, creepy armor and a giant sword. He snarls, flashing sharp rotted teeth at me as he swings his huge sword at me.

Gilda neighs, frightened and jumps back onto her hind legs, I yelp, losing my grip and fall off, landing on my back. I groan in pain and start coughing violently again.

I tremble, terrified as I look up at the man and inch away from him. I want to scream but I can't find my voice or even my breath.

I had only ever heard stories before… I never once in my thought I'd ever come face to face with an actual Haeritari.

The Hearitari. The most ruthless, barbaric race. All they do is rape and pillage and kill. They have no morals, no sense of good. They're monsters.

He laughs, but it sound more like a growl. He raises his sword and I know he plans to hack me up. I whimper and try to get up, but he knocks me back down and keeps me from moving by placing his heavy boot on my chest. It's suffocating and I can't breath.

Oh God… this is it… I'm… I'm going to die.

He raises his sword, ready to chop my head off. His eyes gleam with sadistic pleasure. I close my eyes. I hope he makes it quick.

I lie there waiting for my imminent doom, but it never comes. Suddenly the weight is off my chest. I open my eyes and look around and there's Ludwig, tackling the Haeritari warrior to the ground. The giant sword he was going to use to kill me on the ground as well.

Ludwig punches his helmet off, his hands going to strangle him, the large, pale beast of a man struggles under Ludwig's strong grip and it doesn't take long for him to pass out. Ludwig gets off and grabs the sword and doesn't even hesitate to press the think blade into the Haertitari's chest, effectively killing him.

I gasp and look up at Ludwig in shock. I knew he was strong, but I had no idea he was that strong. He holds out his hand to me and I take it. He pulls me to my feet and I catch my breath.

"You alright?" He asks as he cleans the bloodied blade on the grass, meaning to keep it. He takes the sheath from the dead warrior's body and straps it to his back. I nod.

"Yes… I'm fine, thank you for saving my life," I say. Ludwig nods and without a word walks off. I watch him going over to Gilda, calming her down and getting on her, guiding her back over to me.

"What are you doing?" I ask confused. Why was he taking my horse?

"I don't know where you're going, but I am coming with you," He says stoically, offering his hand to me to pull me onto Gilda.

"Why?" I always thought Ludwig hated me. Why would he want to join me?

"There's nothing left for me here and if you go alone, you'll probably die." He says. And he's right. So I grab the satchel from off the ground and take his hand. He effortlessly pulls me up onto Gilda's back in front of him.

"Where are we going?" He asks.

"Varlera," I say. He nods and doesn't say anything and instead kicks Gilda into a gallop and we ride off, heading towards the forest that acts as the boarder between Antecia and Varlera.

I hold onto Gilda's mane and I turn my head to the side as I cough. I feel so dizzy… so lightheaded. I feel like I'm going to pass out.

It gets harder and harder to keep my eyes open and my body alert. I feel myself becoming limp, leaning back against Ludwig's broad chest. Everything gets darker and darker and I finally feel myself go unconscious.

* * *

**Antecia – **The human territory. The largest territory and greatest population. The humans put most of their resources into their militia. Most humans in Antecia are either farmers in the villages or soldiers in the military. The noble humans live in the cities and work as merchants, holy-man/women, or as representatives in the villages.

Antecia is ruled by either a king or queen of royal blood. They are very involved in trading andassociating themselves in other territories' political problems.

**Varlera** – The Magi territory. While not everyone in Varlera can practice magic or possess the ability, they all have pure magi blood and the trait, whether it be dominant or recessive in them. Varlera generally doesn't let none magi in the territory. Any non-magi people are arrested and either put into the slave labor if deamed able enough to work or imprisoned/killed if they pose as a threat or escorted out of the territory if they are not threats or not viewed as useful for work. Varlera doesn't associate with the other regions politically ad any contact is strictly for trade. They declare neutrality in any potential wars or conflicts unless they deem one side to be a threat to them. If so, then they offer aid to the other side.

Varlera's ruler is refered to as the Grand Diviner and a council of elder mages. They decide everything. The Grand Diviner is chosen by the council of elders from a group of apprentices who are taken from young ages to be trained under the current Grand Diviner. The apprentices not chosen become the future council members.

**Haeritari –** This territory is occupied by the Haeritans. A race of human-like beings. They are gifted with incredible strength and combative skills. They are e very barbaric race. They act on impulse and know no morals.

They are very tribal and their leader, the Chief is the strongest warrior. In their culture, whichever warrior is strong enough to defeat the chief, (kill him in battle) they become the new chief.

**Ylirit – **The elfish territory. The elfish territory used to be very large and expanded all over the lands. Their main territory used to be along the seaside areas, where they were the main control of the sea ports. However that territory was taken by Antecian forces. Now the elves live up in the mountains and forest areas.

The elves celebrate no type of god's, but instead their ancestors. The leader of the elves is chosen through a ceremony in which they believe their ancestor's point to who should lead. It is typically someone very wise and in touch with their heritage and the lands around them. The elves are very peaceful, but they have a fierce army of archers and they are the best hunters.


	2. Chapter II

_**Not much to say except Arthur is in this chapter!**_

* * *

"_And then, Alfred, the great knight, the hero of Antecia slays the evil dragon!" A five year old Alfred says as his tiny arms swing around a make shift sword made out of a twig, barely able to see because of the bucket over his head that works as his helmet._

_Matthew, who is seven, laughs softly, as he quietly roars, pretending to be the dragon to his little brother's knight. He falls over, acting as if the small boy had slain him and he's dead now._

_Alfred grins widely and rejoices, prancing around, he gos over to his mother and father who've been watching the whole thing._

"_Mommy, daddy, did you see?! Did you see I defeated the dragon all on my own!?" He asks excitedly as his mother picks him up. Matthew runs over behind them, a small smile on his face as their father ruffles his eldest son's hair._

"_Yes we did~ You're going to be a brave knight when you grow up, just like your grandfather!" Their mother says smiling fondly at her children._

"_You will too, right Matthew?" Their father asks, picking up Matthew, who shakes I head._

"_I want to be a farmer, just like you, Father," Matthew says in his soft voice, he's never been the adventurous type, like his younger brother._

_Their parents just laugh at this as they put the boys down. Alfred frantically turns to his brother._

"_No, you have to be a knight, like me, that way we can fight and be heroes together!" Alfred says, grabbing his brother's hands. Matthew smiles._

"_Ok, we'll do it together," Matthew says. Alfred grins happily and holds on to his brother's hands tighter._

"_Promise?"_

"_I promise."_

* * *

When I wake up, I'm on the ground, wrapped in the blankets my mother packed for me, the satchel under my head like a pillow. I look over and see a small fire going with Ludwig on the other side of it, Gilda tied to a tree grazing on grass. I start coughing again as I sit up. Ludwig looks over to me, now aware that I'm awake.

"Are you alright?" He asks. I nod.

"Just a bit sick is all," I say awkwardly as I sit on the blankets I was wrapped in and inching closer to the fire.

"I know," Is all he says, turning his attention back to the fire. He grabs a pouch that lay next to him and tossed it to me. I pick it up and look at him confused.

"Its water. Drink some," He says. I open the pouch and drink it, I hadn't realized I was so thirsty. I had to force myself not to drink it all. The cool water sooths my throat and eases my coughing. I wipe my mouth.

"Thanks," I say, closing the pouch and giving it back to Ludwig. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a day. We should reach one of the boarder cities of Varlera in a day and a half. Do you think you can make it? You still have a fever," I look over to Ludwig shocked. I've never heard him say that much ever before.

"I should be fine," I say, but I'm lying and we both no it. The truth is I feel weaker and sicker than I've ever felt ever. I can barely keep myself conscious right now. I feel like death.

It's silent between us for a while. I grab some food out of the satchel. A bit of bread and an apple. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it down. I hand some food to Ludwig, who seems eager to accept it. He probably hasn't eaten in awhile.

"Why Varlera?" Ludwig asks after a moment. I look up and swallow a bite of bread I took.

"The moment they find out we're human we'll be escorted by their soliders right back the the Antecian boarder." He says, voicing what he must've been worrying about the moment we left on Gilda.

I pull out the pendant from under my shirt and hold it out to him. He gets up and moves closer so he can see it.

"This is a pendant from Varlera. This is the symbol of a mage family…. My mage family," I say, my thumb tracing over the pendant. "This was my grandmother's. My mother told me she was a dormant mage… She must've left Varlera at some point and married my grandfather," I explain wearily. "My mother said that as long as I had this and went by the surname Jones, no one would suspect anything," Ludwig nods.

"Sounds good," He says. "So I'll go by Jones as well… I'll say I'm your cousin or brother."

"Sounds like a plan, Ludwig Jones," I say with a short, hollow laugh. Ludwig doesn't say anything or respond, He goes back to his original spot by the fire and its quiet once more. I finish eating and lie back down, trying to keep my food down.

"Why were Haeritari attacking us?" I ask, looking over at Ludwig wide eyed and worried.

"I don't know… They must want more territory maybe… more power. Or maybe they just wanted to kill," Ludwig explains. He sounds so bitter, like there's a story or history he has with these Haeritari. I want to ask, but I know I won't get an answer.

"We should get a few more hour of sleep. We'll leave early in the morning."

Ludwig lies down, and I just now notice that he's been sitting on the tarp, using it as a makeshift bed, giving me all the blankets.

Part of me feels bad that he has to take care of me. Another part is grateful that Ludwig is here with me. Protecting me for reasons I don't know or understand why.

"Goodnight Ludwig," I murmur. I don't expect a reply from him and I don't get one.

* * *

The next time I wake up I'm back on Gilda, lying against Ludwig's chest as we gallop through the forest. It's bright and sunny, it must be the afternoon. I feel so woozy and nauseous. I feel like I'm going to die. My eyes can't focus on anything, it's all fuzzy. I feel so warm, so hot and sweaty and ungodly warm. All the sounds around me are dull and muted.

I want to curl up and die.

I… I think I'm going to…

"We need to stop," I say suddenly, I can feel Ludwig's eyes on me as he looks down. I feel Gilda slow to a stop and Ludwig gets off, helping me down as I keel over, the food I ate last night coming up and out of me, and afterwards I continue to dry heave, a little bit of bile and spit coming out.

I feel empty and dry but I can't stop coughing and heaving. I feel Ludwig's large hand rubbing my back as the other one holds out the water pouch. After several more heaves and hacks, I fall back onto my behind and pant a bit, trying to catch my breath. My eyes are watery and I feel tears coming out. I wipe the saliva and vomit from my mouth and take the water that Ludwig offered.

I took a swig, swishing it around before spitting it out. When the horrid taste is somewhat out of my mouth, I take a few more careful sips.

"Are you good to travel?" Ludwig asks carefully. I nod and hand the pouch back over to him.

"Yeah.. I should be good," I mutter as I stand up on weak and trembling legs. I feel Ludwig's hands grab me carefully and hoist me up to sit on Gilda before getting back on himself.

"Only a day more and we'll reach Varlera," Ludwig says. "If we don't stop it will be less than that."

I nod and moan. I can feel Ludwig looking at me with worried eyes.

"I think we should try to get there as fast as possible," He murmurs as he kicks Gilda into a fast gallop. He doesn't think I'll make it. I try to fall asleep again, but I can't.

My head won't stop pounding, all sounds are blending together and I can't see anything. Its all blurry and out of focus. I feel like a can't breath… I feel delirious. I don't know what's happening to me. I've never felt like this.

Maybe it's the shock of losing my home and my family. Maybe I'm still freaked out about almost being killed by that Haeritari warrior. Whatever it is, I think it's freaking Ludwig out. I know it has him worried and it takes a lot to freak out and worry someone like Ludwig.

I think about Matthew. Why didn't he write any letters like he promised? I think about my parents. Why did Father not say anything to me before leaving to possibly be killed by a Haeritari? Why did Mother send me off on my own in my ill state? Why wouldn't she want to come with me to make sure I didn't die?

Why am I so weak and pathetic? Maybe I deserve to die.

I don't know how much time has passed, it feel like it could've been hours, long agonizing hours or just a few short minutes.

All I know is that it's dark, but whether that's because of my eyes or the sun I do not know.

I hear so many sounds all jumbled together. Gilda's hooves, birds cooing, the wind whistling and Ludwig grunting occasionally. But soon other sounds join it.

People's voices… I think one of them is Ludwig's.

There are hands touching me, taking off my clothes, they're doing something to my body. I feel tingling sensations all over, like some soothing force is moving through me like flowing streams of water or a soft wind.

It feels like there's silky fingers are going through my body, my soul and picking each little virus of what's making me sick and removing it.

I feel my mind becoming clearer, things are becoming more distinct and it's easier to hear things. I don't feel so hot and sweaty, I feel a calm cool wash settling over my body.

Before I can fully regain clarity, I begin to feel tired. I feel my eyes grow heavy and I'm just so sleepy.

Everything is so peaceful and dark.

* * *

"Where did they find them?"

"Arthur said he found them wandering on a horse on the outskirts of town. The big one looked so sleep deprived but he refused to leave his cousin's side."

"God that poor boy was so sick… He's lucky Arthur found them in time to bring him here. He was practically at death's door."

"I've never seen anyone so sick before, it felt like he had never been treated before."

"Maybe they were hermits or wanderers."

"They must be, that pendant he was wearing was from the southern territories."

I moan as I listen to the voices, slowly opening my eyes. I feel… Amazing. I've never felt so healthy and strong and pure before. It's like every little piece of black illness that ever infected me was wiped clear from my body.

I feel so strong.

Not strong like I could lift those heavy bags of grain or carry a big sword and take someone in a fight; but strong like I'll never be ill again. Like I will be able to survive without my family, if that makes any sense.

The people in the room notice I'm awake now. I finally notice where I am. A strange room, its so clean and calming and I'm in the most comfortable bed I've ever laid on.

"Oh, you're awake," The two of them say in unison. They're both women. They're very maternal in their manner and pleasant to look at with soft caramel skin, that was slightly aged and honey like hair. I think they're twins.

"How are you feeling?" Asks the other. I sit up and rub my eyes, giving them a polite smile.

"Great actually… Where am I? And where's Ludwig?" I ask trying to stay calm. I hope Ludwig's ok. I hope we reached Varlera all right.

"You're in the infirmary in Parlay. Your cousin is sleeping in the other bed over there," The other woman says, gesturing to a second bed on the other side of the room with Ludwig sleeping peacefully. He must be exhausted, in the three days it took to get here, he didn't really sleep much, mostly he was looking out for me.

I owe you my life, Ludwig, I think to myself.

"What happened?" I ask. I remember them saying that someone found us, but I was still in between sleep and consciousness.

"One of the Grand Diviner's apprentices found you. You are very blessed that he was out there in the Dynell forest collecting herbs. Most mages don't go near there since its so close to the Antcian boarder," They explain it to me, but I'm rather confused. I don't know much about Varleran culture, so I have no idea who this Grand Diviner is or who their apprentices are.

"Well… tell him thank you for me… I'm very grateful," I say earnestly and smiling. The two women smile kindly at me.

"Tell him yourself, he said he wanted to speak with you and your cousin when you were both awake," One of them says. This makes me nervous, but I try to stay calm. Maybe this apprentice guy just wanted to make sure I was all right and he wasn't suspicious of anything.

"Oh, that's great," I say in a small voice as my stomach growls. I hadn't noticed I was so hungry, but that would make sense since I haven't eaten anything in three days except some bread and an apple, which I threw up anyway. One of the women smiles and mentions something about bringing me some food. The other comes closer to me near the bed.

"You should feel very honored that a Grand Diviner's apprentice is making time to see you," She says and I give her a smile.

"I know, I feel very lucky," I lie, playing along. I have to act convincing as an actual Varleran, I can't let them find out I'm Antecian. The woman smiles and laughs melodiously.

"By the way… My name is Fara and the other woman is my sister, Tara," She says, gesturing to her sister who was coming back with a tray of food that she sets on the bedside table.

"My name is Alfred," I say and I remember what my mother told me about using that surname. "Alfred Jones. And that's my cousin Ludwig Jones."

"We know, your cousin told us your names before he passed out to sleep, but it's nice to finally meet you all the same. Fara and I were the ones who healed you," Tara says, handing me a bowl of what looked like porridge. At this point though, I was so hungry I would've eaten my own bile.

Ok, maybe not that hungry. But I still devour that bowl of porridge s quick as I can. This only makes the sisters laugh. "My, you're hungry," One of them says, but I don't see which one.

"So you were the ones who healed me," I say as I finally slow my eating. "I've never experienced anything like that before… It felt like a warm, soothing light was floating through me, picking out every piece of sick inside me…" I say, still amazed by how that felt and how I felt now. "I've never felt this healthy in my life."

They both look at me surprised.

"Haven't you ever had healers cure you of illness before? It's quite common to have infirmaries, even in the smallest of villages," Fara says confused. I feel a bit flustered and try to cover up my little blunder.

"M-me and my cousin… we've been wanderers for so long… We never stay in cities or villages long enough to call anywhere home and. When we get sick, we're usually in the middle of some forest, away from any healers," I explain, rambling a bit, hoping I sounded convincing enough. I hear them both laugh again.

"I've never understood wanderers," Fara says and Tara nods in agreement.

"I know, I could never get why they couldn't stay in one place for more than a week," Tara adds. I sigh out of relief, thank god they bought it, and stuff my mouth with porridge to keep myself from saying anything else stupid.

I hear a yawn, and some shuffling and look over. Ludwig's waking up it seems.

"Good morning, Ludwig. Did you sleep well?" They ask, their voices in sync. I find it weird, but they don't seem to notice.

"Good," Ludwig says stoically, standing up. He's wearing a white linen nightshirt and I notice I'm wearing the same thing.

"Where are our clothes?" Ludwig asks, and I realize I'm not wearing any pants, a blush tingeing my cheeks I'm sure.

"We washed them, they're still drying, but don't worry," Fara gets up and goes to the wardrobe in the corner and pulls out two neatly folded piles of clothes. "We have some clothes that will fit you," She says, putting the clothes on the bed.

"We'll give you both your privacy to change and eat your breakfast," Fara explains going to the door with her sister.

"In the meantime, we'll inform Arthur that you are both awake and well now," Tara says before they finally leave the room, closing the door behind it. I look down at the clothes and run my hands over the fabric. It's so soft and fine. Much nicer than the clothes I'm used to.

Ludwig immediately turns his back to me and begins to change. I take this as a sign for him wanting privacy and do the same, quickly changing into the fine clothes.

"You done?" Ludwig asks. I nod and mumble a yes, turning around to find him wearing clothes that looked similar to mine.

"Well don't we look all fancy schamncy," I joke lightly with a smile. It's a bit tense in here and I find it awkward. Ludwig doesn't really react to me and instead goes to the tray of food to each his half of the breakfast.

I look away and grab a piece of bread and eat it slowly, trying to find something to say.

"Ludwig," I say suddenly looking at the stoic blonde. He looks over at me with a raised brow.

"Thank you, for saving my life a second time… I'm sorry I was such a burden to you," I must have been. Ludwig must've sacrificed a lot to accompany me on this little journey of mine. A journey in which I was sick and unconscious for nearly the whole time and he had to do _everything _for me.

"It's all right," He says and there's a big silent pause between us. "And you aren't a burden."

I don't really know if he means it or not, but it still makes me feel better.

"You should eat the rest of your food," He says, gesturing to my untouched portions. Even though we're safe, and I'm healthy and well, Ludwig still feels like he has to watch over and take care of me.

"So you met this Arthur guy that found us, right?" I ask between bites of my food. He nods.

"Yes. He's supposedly some big deal."

"What's he like? Do you think he suspects anything?" I wonder worriedly. Ludwig shrugs.

"He seems pretty young. Big eyebrows. It's hard to say if he suspects anything, I was very sleep deprived when I met him," He informs me. I nod. I hope everything works out.

Fara and Tara came back into check on us later. When they saw we had finished eating and were dressed, they smiled, saying they would bring us to this Arthur person now.

I tried to keep myself from getting to nervous, but it was hard. I knew basically nothing about this man, except that he was an apprentice of some sort, highly respected, and had big eyebrows. Not a lot to go off of.

I look up at Ludwig who's walking beside me as Fara and Tara lead us out of the room we were in and down a flight of stairs. He looks down at me briefly and gives me, what looks like, a reassuring glance..

The sisters eventually stop in front of a set of double doors, a dark mahogany color, looking very grand.

They turn around and smile at us, the doors opening on their own. It sort of freaks me out, but I try not to show it. The sisters step aside and usher Ludwig and I into the room, closing the door behind us.

The room is dark, the only source of light coming from a fireplace. I look around, it looks a bit like a library or at least there are a lot of shelves with books. There are windows, but they're all covered with drapes. By the fireplace are some cushy chairs. In one of them sits a lone figure. I assume that's this Arthur person I've been told about.

"You'd be right in that assumption," The figure says, turning his face towards Ludwig and I, revealing large eyebrows and green, green eyes. I jump slightly. Did… Did he just read my thoughts?

"Yes, I did," He says again, standing up and walking over towards us. Ludwig straightens up and steps ahead of me slightly.

"Oh hush your thoughts, you big lug, I'm not going to hurt him," Arthur says, this time to Ludwig. I look up to Ludwig and he's looking down at me. It's silently agreed between us that we'll have to be extra cautious around this man.

"Now then," Arthur announces, clapping his hands together to get our attention. "Onto introductions. My name is Arthur Kirkland, pleased to meet you," He says holding his hand out to me. As I take his hand, he grasps it firmly and eyes me, looking me up and down with this strange look in his eyes. It makes me blush as I avoid his gaze.

"Alfred Will…." I trail off and correct myself, can't believe I almost gave myself away. "William Jones. Alfred William Jones," I say, giving a smile. Arthur gives my hand a squeeze and releases it, murmuring something to himself that I couldn't hear. He now offers his hand to Ludwig, who grabs it tightly, possibly in an attempt to intimidate Arthur.

"Ludwig Jones, his… cousin," He says stiffly. Arthur smirks and releases Ludwig's hand, now gesturing to the chairs.

"Pleasure to meet you both, officially. When I found you lot in the forest, you," He looks at me, "were unconscious. And you," He turns his gaze to Ludwig, "were so deliriously tired, you could barely tell left from right," He chuckles a bit and I smile humoredly, since I don't want him to be offended. Something about Arthur seemed… off. Like he was pretending or something.

"Shall we take a seat over there by the fire, that way I can look at you both much better," He says gesturing to the chairs. Ludwig leads the way, taking a seat and I sit down in the chair next to his. Arthur goes to sit in the chair he previously sat in, across from me.

No one says anything, Arthur just sits there staring at me, while Ludwig sits there glaring at Arthur, leaving me to squirm awkwardly in my seat.

"So… look at that fire. That is a nice fire. Very big and orange and… and hot," I say with an uncomfortable laugh. I just can't take this silence. It's suffocating.

"Very astute observation, Alfred," Arthur says with a coy smile. I get the feeling that he's teasing me. And once again it's quiet. I keep waiting for Arthur to say something. I mean, he should be the one to say something, right? He's the one who wanted to meet Ludwig and me.

I look down at the floor and swing my feet slightly. They don't quite reach the floor all the way and this was a very big chair.

Then I realize… maybe Arthur just wants us to show him our appreciation for saving us.

"Oh uh, thanks for saving us and getting us help," I say, figuring that that might be all he wanted from us. Arthur smiles, but there's something weird about it.

"It was no trouble at all, poppet," He says.

Poppet? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Is it a… pet name?

"Yes, it is," Arthur says having read my mind again, with a coy smirk. I blush and look down again and I hear Ludwig sigh.

"Not to be disrespectful, sir, but could you please tell us why we're here?" Ludwig says, trying to keep from sounding agitated. At this point, Arthur's friendly demeanor drops.

"I will, when you tell me why a human is in mage territory," He says pointedly at Ludwig, any attention he was giving to me gone now.

Ludwig visibly tenses and I look between the two of them anxiously.

"You read minds. You tell me," Ludwig says threateningly. It doesn't seem to shake Arthur though.

"You're too easy to get worked up," Arthur says, and laughs a bit, his fake friendliness is now back. "Besides, I can only read surface thoughts. I can't go so deep into the psyche and read peoples' motivations or desires or see their memories unless they're actively thinking of it," He explains.

"Now then, I suppose I should tell you why I'm actually here," Arthur says, turning serious once more. Something tells me that this serious side of him is more real than his friendly one.

"I didn't find you in the Dynell forest by chance. I was sent by the Grand Diviner to find you there," He explains. "What she wants with you two, I haven't the slightest idea. All I know is that I'm supposed to bring you both back to Ciserio with me," This really can't be good if the head honcho wants to see us.

"How did you know we were human?" I ask concerned. Was it that obvious that we didn't belong? Arthur raises a brow as he turns to look at me.

"'_We?'_" He asks. "Her lady hadn't said anything about _two _humans. I was under the impression that you were a mage. I mean, I'm able to sense the magic trait in you, it may be small, weak, and inactive, but it's still there…" He trails off and brings his hand to his chin, looking at me intrigued. "Interesting."

I'm not sure I like the way Arthur is looking at me and I think Ludwig can sense this because he puts an arm in front of me protectively.

"Back off," He warns Arthur.

Arthur smirks and rolls his eyes. "As you wish," He says, his gaze never leaving me as Ludwig takes his arm away.

"Well then, I plan on leaving this afternoon. I hope you're both rested. It's a five-day journey on horseback. I have all the supplies packed and ready. Be ready to leave by 1:00 and don't be late, I prefer to be punctual," And with that Arthur stands up once more, holding his hand out to Ludwig, who takes it and gives it a shake.

"Ludwig," He says, nodding, Ludwig returns the nod. Arthur lets go and turns to me, taking my hand, but instead of shaking it like I think he's going to, he brings it to his lips.

"Poppet," He says, giving my hand a kiss before disappearing through the doors before I even have the chance to blush.

"I don't like or trust him," Ludwig says, but I can't find the words to reply.


	3. Chapter III

**Sorry this one is shorter than the other chapters**

* * *

It's almost one, Ludwig and I were given packs with food and clothes by Fara and Tara, who also showed us where the stable Gilda was at.

I notice that they took the time to saddle Gilda up and groom and feed her. She seems very happy to be pampered, especially after that horrid three-day journey where it was basically nonstop galloping for her, the poor girl.

"We made sure to get her all ready and rested for your journey to the capitol," Fara says, bringing her over to us.

"Thank you, she seems much better than she did a couple days ago," I say as I stroke her snout. Her fur is so much softer. Whatever these mages did to her, I'm sure it made her a much happier horse.

"She's all ready for your long journey, and we made sure to pack a lot of little treats for her to keep her happy," Tara says, patting a bag hanging on the saddle.

"You two should be on your way," The two sisters say together, handing the reins to Ludwig. "Don't want to be late," they finish.

They send us on our way to meet Arthur at the front of the infirmary. We see him there waiting, on top of a beautiful white horse with silver speckles, all saddled up and ready to go. He looks over at us, and smiles as we approach; Ludwig gets onto Gilda without hesitation.

I looked up at Arthur as he smirked at me.

"Glad you two made it on time," He says, most of his attention on me. "If you'd like, poppet, you can ride with me," He says, subtly winking at me. I feel flustered as I shake my head.

"That's ok…" I say, as I get on Gilda behind Ludwig and hold onto him. "And my name is Alfred, not poppet," I murmur under my breath. I don't know if Arthur heard it or not.

"Well, let's be off then," Arthur announces, taking the lead, his horse at a mid-paced canter. Ludwig and I follow along beside and slightly behind him on Gilda. Arthur leads us down a dirt road. Traveling on a path is much better than weaving through a forest on a frantic horse.

As we ride, I catch Arthur frequently glancing back at me and I'm not sure what to make of it. It makes me blush and feel all flustered, but it also makes me uncomfortable. What's with this guy? Why is he so strange? And crap… Does he here what I'm thinking? Is he reading my mind right now?

He looks back at me again with a smirk and mouths a 'yes.' I sigh and try to clear my head of any thoughts. Really, it was an invasion of privacy, him reading my thoughts. He could at least ask first or something.

"If I asked first it wouldn't be fun anymore, poppet," Arthur says, not even looking at me.

"My name is Alfred," I mumble.

Ludwig grunts, obviously annoyed. "Stop reading his mind," He says coldly. It really feels like Ludwig is reaching his breaking point, like he's going to lose his temper soon.

"You're no fun," Arthur says, but that's all he says and for the rest of the trip, until we stop for the night, is silent.

"We'll have to camp outside tonight, but tomorrow night we should be near a town where we can find an inn," Arthur says, getting off his horse and guiding it to a tree to tie it up for the night. Ludwig and I do the same, bring Gilda to the same tree so she can rest for the night.

"I'll build a fire," Ludwig tells us and starts collecting sticks. I go into that pack on Gilda's saddle and pull out an apple for her. I think about grabbing a second one for Arthur's horse, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed. I look over at Arthur who is busy doing… something weird. What is he doing?

"I'm putting up a magical barrier to protect us while we sleep." He says not even looking at me. I sigh, annoyed.

"Can you not read my mind, please? It's an invasion of privacy!" I say exasperated. Seriously, what was up with this guy?

"If that's what you want, poppet," He says cockily. I groan, grabbing a second apple and giving it to Arthur's horse anyway, whether he minds or not.

"My name is Alfred," I insist, turning my back to him to pet Gilda. It's best if I just ignore Arthur, I think.

The mage doesn't say anything else to me, and I glad. I look to see if Ludwig is anywhere near and see that he's back with a pile of sticks, ready to make a fire. He starts setting everything up. When he gets to the point of getting out his flint to actual light it, Arthur walks over and points his finger at it.

"Allow me," He says, muttering a word, I'm guessing it's a spell of some sort, and sparks come out of his finger, lighting the fire. My eyes widen, that was so amazing! I've never actually seen magic before, only heard stories. Ludwig doesn't seem as impressed, he just roles his eyes.

I turn my attention to the horses again, not wanting Arthur to see my amazement. He'd probably get all coy and cocky and say something stupid like 'you like that, poppet? Well there's more spark where that comes from.' Or something like that.

I here Ludwig and Arthur moving around, getting things out of their packs, probably setting up camp for the night. I grab mine and go over to help. Ludwig is setting up a place to sleep with some blankets Fara and Tara packed for us. I see Arthur doing something similar.

I begin to set up my bed next to Ludwig's.

"You could sleep next to me, love, I'll keep you warm tonight," Arthur says smirking. I blush and look away. What was with him and all these pet names for me?

"I'm fine over here," I say, sitting down on my 'bed' and grabbing some food from my pack to eat for supper.

Ludwig stays next to me, eating his own food and staring at the fire. Arthur pulls out a book as he eats an apple. Hopefully he won't try to read my mind if he's focusing on his book.

When I finish my food, I don't really feel like just sitting her in awkward silence.

"I'm going to bed," I say, getting under my blanket and snuggling it around me. It doesn't take long for Arthur and Ludwig to follow suit and in no time, we're all asleep.

That first night was extremely awkward. I couldn't really sleep.

I just kept thinking about everything that had happened to me in the past few days. I might never see my family again. I'll never know if Matthew made it to Baehlin alright or how he's doing at his training. Is my mother all right? Did my father survive the attack on the village? Is Emma alive? Did Lars protect her like my mother said he would? Are Padget and the tailor shop all right?

Oh god… I'm really alone now, aren't I? All I have left from my old life is Ludwig and I'm not even sure if he likes me that much… Still, him and me have to stick together. He's now the closest thing I have to a family.

I ended up not being able to sleep at all, I must have laid there for hours just thinking. I decide to just get up, before both Ludwig and Arthur were up. I quietly packed my things, so as not wake either of them up and grabbed an apple to eat for breakfast. I go over to Gilda and Arthur's horse, they're both asleep as well, so I sit under the tree they're tied to.

It's very early. The sun is rising right now. As I watch it, I eat my apple. I feel something nudge my head. I look over and smile, laughing softly. It's Arthur's horse. I stand up and my hands go to pet his snout and his main. He's such a beautiful horse. All snowy white with little flecks of silver all over. A horse this lovely must've cost a lot of coin.

"I didn't purchase him. He was a gift," I look behind me and see Arthur standing there, now awake and reading my mind.

"Argen was given to me by the Grand Diviner when I was sixteen. All the apprentices receive horses, which look just like Argen when they reach that age. That's the age where we are allowed to leave the Hall, but only with permission from the Grand Diviner herself," Arthur explains, standing next to me.

"He really is beautiful. He's a special bread, only available to the mages of high respect," He says, stroking Agren's neck.

"Why'd you name him Argen?" I ask, it was all I could think of to say.

"In Latin, silver is argentum. I named him for the silver flecks in his coat," Arthur explains. I nod and stifle a yawn.

"You look tired, didn't you get any sleep?" He asks. I shake my head.

"I couldn't get myself to fall asleep, too many thoughts," I say shrugging. I feel Arthur's hand on my shoulder.

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" He asks, and for once there's nothing weird or fake about him. He actually seems concerned. I smile and shake my head, shrugging his hand off.

"It's alright. I'm fine," I say dismissively. "I'll go wake Ludwig, and we can get going."

I turn my back to him and suppress the urge to yawn. I go over to Ludwig's sleeping form. I didn't know it was possible, but he looks even more stoic in his sleep. I place my hand over his shoulder, squeezing it slightly and giving a gentle shake. Ludwig's eyes flutter open almost immediately. He must be a light sleeper.

"It's morning, we should get going," I tell him quietly. I look over my shoulder and see Arthur starting to pack his things together. Ludwig nods and starts to get up, Arthur looks over at him and smirks.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head. I thought you'd never wake up," He says jovially. Ludwig's mouth stiffens and he glares at Arthur. I can only imagine what sort of threats he mentally sending Arthur. They must be terrible, since I think I just saw the mage shudder slightly.

I stifle a laugh and as I do, Arthur looks over at me and gives me this…. Strange smile. I quirk my brow at him, giving him a confused look; he just continues to smile before looking away to finish packing. I go and grab my pack, going over to where Gilda and Argen stood. I got out an apple for each of them, they would need the energy if they would be going practically all day. They eagerly eat the apples up and I stroke Gilda and Argen's snouts while I wait for my companions.

I hear them bickering about something, but I don't really listen close enough to understand what they're saying. But I assume its probably Ludwig telling Arthur to stop reading his mind and Arthur saying some smart ass comment in reply. I don't really know either of them very well but…

… They're so predictable.

Ludwig comes up to me and attaches our packs to Gilda. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Arthur doing the same to Argen.

Before Arthur has the chance to say anything flirtatious and offer to let me ride with him, Ludwig grabs me around my torso and lifts my light figure, placing me on Gilda. I blush out of embarrassment and scrunch up my face. I can hear Arthur laughing, most likely at my expense as Ludwig gets on behind me.

Before I can question why he's placed us in this position again, he speaks.

"Try to get some sleep. I can tell you didn't get any last night," He explains. I nod and silently curse him for being so observant.

I don't want to be a burden to Ludwig. I don't want him to feel like he has to take care of me.

* * *

The next few days of travel go on like it did the first day. It would be awkward silence with the occasional flirty or cocky comment from Arthur, followed by an irritated grunt from Ludwig. I decided it would just be best if I didn't say anything.

It was our last night of traveling and we were thankfully in a small city for the night, so Arthur checked us into an inn for the night. It would be nice to sleep in a bed again after four sleepless nights on the ground.

The only sleep I've gotten this whole trip is just a few hours while riding on Gilda. Thankfully Ludwig was careful to make sure I wouldn't fall off in my sleep.

Even though I'm not sick anymore, I still have this horrible feeling in my stomach. It makes it hard for me to feel happy or even fake happiness. All I've been feeling lately is gloomy and melancholic.

And I'm not stupid, I know it's because I have no idea what's happening with my family. Not knowing if they're dead or alive is killing me. And knowing that I will most likely never see them again makes it even worse.

I just want to feel my mother's arms hold me tightly. I want my father's large, calloused to clap me on the shoulder as he laughs boomingly at something I've said. I want to play knights with Matthew again, like we did when we were small.

I want that familial love and comfort back again. I want to feel like I've got a home with people I love.

Mother said to make a new life, a happier one here in Varlera, and to never look back… But I don't think that's possible. Not when there's a hole in the shape of my family in my heart.

"Stop reading my mind!"

I hear Ludwig's voice coming from the other room, he and Arthur are probably bantering again. I walk closer to the wall and lean against it so I'm able to hear what's going on.

I know it's not polite to ease drop, but if things get out of hand, I should know so I can go over and break it up. Arthur and Ludwig usually stop pestering each other when I ask them to.

"But its so much fun, and I'm bored," Arthur says, his voice slightly muffled since he's not yelling like Ludwig.

"Maybe I'll go find Alfred, I'm sure I can find some way to entertain myself with him," The mage says, and I can practically hear the smirk on his lips. My face flushes red. Seriously, what was with Arthur and his weird fascination with me? Ludwig is most likely sending a death glare at the mage right now.

"I swear, if you touch him..." Ludwig says, his voice trailing off, but the threat in his words still evident through his tone.

"What makes you think that?" Arthur asks, pretending he's offended. Ludwig lowers his voice a bit.

"I don't need to read minds to know what you're thinking," He says. I furrow my brows, my entire face scrunching up as it darkens in color. Now seems like a good time to stop this fight. I quickly rush over to the room they're in, not even knocking as I enter the room. Arthur looked as if he was about to say something, but both men stopped what they were doing the moment I entered.

I stood there awkwardly in the doorway as they stared at me, obviously waiting for me to say something. I swallow hard to buy some time before I say anything.

"Uh… I was going to head down to the tavern to get dinner," I say, thankful I managed to not stutter nervously.

"Do either of you want to come with? I'm starving, haha," I laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood. Arthur smiles.

"I'd love to join you, love," He says, once again using one of his terms of endearments instead of my name. He gives Ludwig a look before returning his gaze to me. Ludwig glares.

"I'll come too," he says sternly. I smile and nod.

"Great! Let's go," I say as I turn to leave, knowing they'll both follow me as I walk down to the tavern downstairs. I can't wait until this whole journey is over with. I really don't get why Arthur and Ludwig can't get along.

It's a good thing we'll reach Ciserio tomorrow. Then I won't have to deal with Arthur and Ludwig fighting because we'll probably part ways. Arthur will go back to whatever it is he does as an apprentice and Ludwig and I will start a new life, wether we stick together or not, I'm not sure. I hope we do since he's the only thing I have left from my old life.

It's weird but… I think I'll sort of… miss Arthur.


End file.
